When we were kids, the end of the school year was pretty simple, right? You hugged a few teachers, traded camp addresses with friends and cleaned out your locker. (“Hey! My tennis shoe! Ooo! Valentine’s candy! Uh-oh. Is that a lunch bag…from December?”) And, as I recall, my parents didn’t have to do anything to help me through it.

These days, the end of the school year is a much more complicated two month affair. Not only are there school plays, talent shows, fairs, dances and Pre-School/Kindergarten/6th Grade/Eighth Grade/High School graduations to contend with, there are now celebrations for each and every experience our kids have had in the year. There are parties for each grade, every school sports team and every club. (“Come to The Debate Club Party! Arguably The Best!”) And it all adds up to a LOT more work than our parents were ever asked to do.

So when I was asked to bring an entree for 20 to two events at different schools within two days, I decided to save myself some brain power and effort and make the same dish twice: Buttermilk and Herb Chicken on Arugula with Greek Yogurt Herb Sauce and Tiny Tomato Relish.

It’s an impressive dish that the parents, teachers and kids all loved…and since it really takes only 30 minutes of active cooking time, so did I.

I know I’ve told you this before, but buttermilk is the key to making all chicken–especially boneless and skinless breast meat– flavorful and moist.

And though it sits in the fridge to marinate for a few hours or up to a day, the ingredients take just 5 minutes to toss together.

The Greek yogurt sauce and tomato relish both take just minutes, too.

And since the sauce is even better made the day ahead, it makes the day you serve it much less stressful.

So even though this dish looks and tastes elaborate, if you divide and conquer, it’s actually easy and well worth the effort. (Just like parenting!)

1/2 -1 t kosher salt (Start with 1/2 t, you can add more only if you need to.)

1/2 t crushed red pepper

Whirl all together in a food processor or, to save a clean up step, use an immersion blender and puree it a mason jar so that you can store the leftovers in it afterward for use on other veggie or meat dishes later in the week!

TINY TOMATO RELISH

1 lb grape or cherry tomatoes, any variety

1/4 c fresh chopped basil

1 t minced garlic

1 T good olive oil (Greek olive oil has a more pronounced flavor, use it if you have it.)

salt and pepper to taste

Chop the tomatoes in half or in quarters and toss with the basil, garlic and olive oil adding salt and pepper to taste.

TO SERVE

Slice the chicken breasts on a diagonal.

Fill a platter with arugula or mixed greens and arrange the sliced chicken breasts on top.

Drizzle the dressing over the chicken and mound the tomato relish on top of the chicken or in between the rows of slices.

PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD

There is no hard rule about which herbs you use… If you have only basil or dill in your garden, use them alone…Or if you like cilantro, tarragon or any other herb, play with the combinations to make this recipe your own!

And, if you already have Skinny Basil Mayo in the fridge, you can use that rather than making a new dressing. If it needs to be thinned out, add a little lemon juice and buttermilk until it reaches the texture you prefer. It’s YOUR food! Play with it!

RE-USE, RE-PURPOSE, RE-CYCLE

Any leftover chicken and dressing can be added to fresh greens and roasted veggies to make a fantastic low calorie and high fiber wrap or salad the next day. And any left-over tomatoes or dressing can add some pizazz to any veggie omelet.

About Lisa McRee

After 25 years as a local and network anchor, Lisa was just another American mother struggling, and failing, to lose weight. Finally, she cracked the code, and lost 30 pounds, quickly and for good, by doing what she loves: reporting, cooking and eating! The Skinny is the inside story on how she did it, and how you can, too!

Hi, Gaye… Beau Monde Seasoning Salt is made by Spice Islands and is a blend of onion and celery salts and other spices. http://www.spiceislands.com/Seasoning_Mixes/Beau_Monde_Seasoning I’m not sure what you mean when you ask if kosher products taste different as that depends on what product you’re asking about and which non-kosher product you’re comparing it to…?

Hi Lisa,
I just discovered your site through Pinterest, and it looks amazing! Truly, you validate everything I believe about healthy eating, and I do hope that these recipes will help my daughter (who is also bordering on a weight problem) too. As I was combing through your site, I noticed that all of the recipes that I clicked on through your blog posts (i.e. when you referenced Skinny Trail Mix) brought me to a page to a dead page on your site. However, f I put the name of the item in the search, the transfer was successful. I am presently using Google Chrome, which occasionally gets wonky but felt you needed to know in case it was something you could fix easily. Also, I apologize for sending this message through a blog response, but I wasn’t sure of the best way to reach you. Do you have a “Contact me” button that I’m missing.